Dream Weaver: A Spanish-style Casita in Darlinghurst by YSG Studio.

Perhaps it was the pandemic-induced isolation, or their newly minted status as empty nesters, but when one Sydney couple acquired a penthouse overlooking Rushcutters Bay, they were mainly enthusiastic about one thing—dialling up the pizzazz and making up for lost time. And dial it up they did, thanks to Yasmine Saleh Ghoniem of YSG Studio, whom they tapped to give the home a Spanish tapas bar-inspired spin.

With larger-than-life landings, glass walls, deep pile bespoke rugs and hypnotic stone surfaces, you can’t help but feel like you’ve entered a curious adaptation of a Pedro Almodóvar movie. But the home’s charm isn’t just skin-deep.

“We made several structural changes,” says Yasmine, who introduced a slew of zoning interventions. In the living room, for example, she dropped the ceiling to accommodate services in one corner, giving it a charcoal sheen that sets it apart from the rest of the room. And between the living room and the lift lobby, she installed mechanical sliding doors to create a charming lounge-cum-library. “Initiating storage was tricky with so many glass walls,” Yasmine recalls. Her solution? Creating custom beds with storage cavities. “We also extended the master bedroom into the balcony to accommodate a study nook and a generous walk-in-wardrobe,” she adds. Still, with all those glass walls, you’d imagine a frightful invasion of privacy. But nope, Yasmine had that covered: “We created a verdant outdoor oasis that serves to block prying eyes from neighbouring towers.”

Budge Over Dover by YSG Studio is Not Your Regular Home.

This 825-square-metre project in Sydney's Dover Heights has peaceful outdoor areas on the ground floor and spectacular ocean views from balconies on the upper level.

The kitchen was designed as a haven for entertaining. “The owners are consummate entertainers and requested ‘conversational custom pieces’,” says Yasmine. What followed was a fantastical kaleidoscope of features that look like they could have popped out of a Spanish casita: A 360-degree rotating granite platter, a floating plinth on drum legs, taffeta-like veneer, and mismatched Moroccan tiles with perfectly imperfect textures, to name a few. “We installed glass shelves in lithe steel frames and integrated downlights to achieve a museum-like flair,” shares Yasmine.

The aesthetic is a delicious criss-cross of Spanish tiled flourishes, Surrealist touches, and rich colour gradients that recall the Northern Lights. “The overall scheme is conveyed like a colour wheel,” says Yasmine. And it’s true. You’ll find colour here in the most unexpected places, like along the lengths of the dining table legs, which, with their graphic wreath-like detailing, hint at the dominant shades of the home (Yasmine co-designed the table with Adam Goodrum).

Soft Serve: YSG Studio Transforms a Rozelle Corner-shop.

Preserving the historical character of the existing framework, this three-storey sandstone building was revived with an adroit telescoping of eras and artistic influences.

Assuming an almost molten quality, the colours move deliriously, rushing into the next space before you’ve had a chance to notice. In the open living area, a palette of musk, lilac and plum cloaks the furniture, while illuminated Murano glass totems offer a pleasing citrus infusion.

And in the master bedroom, the bedside tables don a zany zebra veneer that looks disarmingly in sync with the solar system of blown glass lights that orbit it.

By the time you leave, one thing is for sure — that each space is well and truly a universe unto itself.

The Fantales Kitchen by YSG Studio for Laminex.

Inspired by the rich, warm tones of afternoon golden hour, Yasmine Saleh Ghoniem of YSG Studio has created a vibrant, warm kitchen and living space featuring shades of terracotta...

[Images courtesy of YSG Studio.  Photography by Prue Ruscoe.]